Vanderbilt Records 105 Points Against Bethel

Vanderbilt Records 105 Points Against Bethel

9/22/2005

by Bill Traughber

If you scan the Vanderbilt football records, you will find that the Commodores beat Bethel 105 to 0 for the most points in a game. The game was played on September 28, 1912 on the original Dudley Field. Coach Dan McGugin’s club played most of the game during a downpour of rain with the field turning into mud.

The Tennessean gave this report:

A waterlogged pasture was the enraging spectacle which presented itself to the eyes of those brave enough to drill out to Dudley field yesterday afternoon, where incidentally, Vanderbilt amassed 105 points to Bethel’s nothing. That is the largest score, if the records are correct, ever made by an athletic team of Vanderbilt. Once in the long ago, the Commodores scored 98 points against the University of Nashville and later, they with the count to 104 points against Central of Kentucky.

Naturally, it makes the Commodores look pretty good on paper to say that they opened the season by breaking a record with only two week’s practice, much of which was done in very hot weather and before a number of the varsity men had arrived. Nevertheless, it was not a great victory. Bethel was lamentably weak on defense on the offense they did come within hailing distance of a first down. But for all that, some of those Bethel men, notably Captain Cody, played gritty football. Their main trouble was lack of unity in action. They were not well trained along football lines, although physically, they seemed never to be in distress.

After stopping Bethel on the opening drive, the Commodores lined up to receive the punt. Vanderbilt’s Wilson Collins took the punted ball and ran to his far right for a 45-yard touchdown to begin the barrage of points. Bethel’s offense failed to move the ball and was forced to punt again. Collins once again received the ball and tore through the Bethel defenders for his second touchdown.

The Tennessean reported:

After that terrible opening assault, it was apparent that the only interest in the game would be the work of the new men and the amount of score heaped up. Though the ball was wet, muddy, and hard to handle, the Commodores worked a host of forward passes which bewildered the Bethel players nearly out of their wits. They did not seem to know what to do when they had the chance, for on three different occasions, Vanderbilt’s forward passes went directly into the hands of Bethel players and each time, the men merely slapped it to the ground instead of catching it.

Soon after Vanderbilt had made twenty odd points, McGugin began to yank his regulars out of the line-up. He used substitutes during the greater part of the game and as usual, the subs did as well as the regulars, mainly, of course, the thing had been started and all they had to do was run, the fray had been won in the first few minutes.

Zach Curlin was the starting quarterback for Vanderbilt, but his backup Rabbi Robbins played well in the muddy environment. A newspaper report stated that Robbins, the mud-horse, “received a kick-off on his own 30-yard line and by skating, side-stepping and dodging managed to elude the whole Bethel team, making the entire distance of seventy yards to the goal line.”

Also it was suggested that all the Commodores had to do to churn out big chunks of yardage was to simply call a play. Accolades were given to Commodore reserve players George Reyer, Herman Daves and Yunk Chester for their outstanding play.

Daves was credited with his blocking and tackling skills by throwing Bethel running backs for losses and opening holes on the offensive line. Reyer received his notice by going through the Bethel offensive line three times in succession and sacking the quarterback before he was able to release a pass. Reyer, playing in the halfback position, threw a 40-yard touchdown pass and another toss for 25 yards.

The Tennessean did notice the sportsmanship of the Bethel players:

Captain Cody, left tackle for the Bethel team, was about eight hundred per cent above the average of his teammates. He is a real football player and if he had been working on a strong team instead of one which was being run over at will, he would have done some tearing up.

There was one thing to be said of the entire bethel team–they all gave the best they had. They are not a bunch of quitters and though the score was ridiculously large, they took their defeat like sportsmen and fought to the best of their knowledge and ability.

The final score of 105-0 could have been worse. Quarters were nine minutes long, but an agreement by both teams, the final two quarters were reduced to seven minutes each. For Vanderbilt, Collins scored five touchdowns; Lewie Hardage, 2; Robbins, 2; Enoch Brown, 3; Reyer, 1; Morrison, 2; Chester, 1. The 16 touchdowns and nine conversions total 105 points.

In the next three Vanderbilt games they beat Maryville (100-3), Rose Polytechnic (54-0), and Georgia (40-0). They finished the season 8-1-1 with a loss to Harvard, and a tie with Auburn. The 1912 Commodores outscored their opponents 391-18.

Next week read about Louisiana Senator Huey Long bringing a caravan of LSU fans to Nashville for the 1934 LSU/Vanderbilt game.

If you have any comments or suggestions you can contact Bill Traughber via e-mail WLTraughber@aol.com.